savedbyzero

hey everyone.

new member, hoping for some good ideas...

(2000 tacoma 2.7, 4wd, ~175k miles, manual)

for the past few days, every once in a while when i was driving, ive heard something like a piece of metal clinking around under the truck. didnt sound good, but not super horrible either - and had no other symptoms associated with it. it happened several times so i made sure to get under there today and look around. i was hoping to maybe find something caught up somewhere and rattling, but no, my bellhousing is cracked. it's not pretty.

given where the crack is, i'm assuming that either a piece of the bellhousing itself, a piece of the clutch, or something else that managed to get in there is hitting the clutch assembly every once in a while, and that's what i was hearing.

i didn't get a chance to really try to look inside it today and now it's dark, but i can take off the boot where the release fork is and try to peek in there tomorrow, right? should i be able to see if the clutch is cracked?

this is my daily driver and i love this truck, so i guess i'm just looking for some suggestions. my clutch was replaced about 50k miles ago. i know it's quite a process to take the bellhousing off and i'm not sure if that's something i'd tear into on my own (at least not without several days to do it and a garage or warmer weather, etc...)

anyone think it might be possible to fish whatever little piece is in there out and have the bellhousing welded?? it's been driving just fine but it'll be sitting until i figure out what to do. i wonder how long it's been cracked.

anyway, i guess at this point i'd welcome any comments or ideas...

SoCalPaul

The picture looks like it was broken from the inside. I'd guess one of the bolts that holds on the pressure plate came loose & is bouncing around inside. Try to fish it out with a magnetic probe, but plan on replacing the clutch soon.

savedbyzero

that's what i'm going to try tomorrow...i have a flexible magnetic probe that i'm gonna try to wiggle around down inside.

if it is one of those bolts and i manage to get it out, do you think it'd still be ok to drive short distances? (ie to a local shop to have any work done)

i failed to mention that this is my only vehicle, not just my daily driver, which makes the situation suck more.

i'll certainly post an update tomorrow.

thanks for your reply. i really appreciate it.

SoCalPaul

If it's a pressure plate bolt, you should be able to drive it for awhile, but plan on getting it done soon. If one bolt came loose, others could too.

Adam F

Order up a new clutch kit, remove the bellhousing, take it to a welding shop to have it welded, and reinstall everything.

If you cant do it yourself, it doesnt sound like there is too much damage, so Id go ahead and drive it until you can afford to get it worked on.

savedbyzero

hey guys.

so i did manage to get the mystery item out, but it's not a bolt, it's one of the fingers from the pressure plate. i took a picture...

i'd really like to attempt this job myself. i'm assuming i should not drive it at all as the clutch could probably completely fail anytime right? if i can get a clutch kit this week and get it into a friend's garage, hopefully my brother and i can both work on it. one thing i know is that i can get that bellhousing welded.

thanks again for your comments/advice. if i tear into it myself i'll let you all know how it goes. enjoy the rest of your weekend...

atistang

wow, what kind of clutch was put in it so we know not to buy that brand?


You can keep driving it if it is your DD, but remember that the faster your engine spins the faster your clutch does, so if your at high rpm's and another finger flies off it could do more damage

just baby it until you get a clutch and the time to work on it, but you might get stranded one day if the rest of it starts to come apart.

savedbyzero

it was a borg warner clutch kit...

this time around i'll just order the toyota parts online. maybe if i had done that before i wouldn't be in this situation.

anyway, thanks for your input. i might be able to borrow a car in the meantime, but if i can't, luckily i work very close to home and the driving i'd need to do in the next week or so would be very minimal.

atistang

wow, must have just been a bad part. borg warner isn't a cheap brand name